Operations Manager at West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP)

Program / Department Summary

• Waves of resource-based, ethnic, and sectarian conflict, rising criminality and banditry, and expanding violent extremism are rendering North Central and Northwest Nigeria increasingly insecure.
• While multiple initiatives seek to address the complex causes of violence, community and security responses to drivers and triggers are often piecemeal at best, and ineffectual at worst.
• Existing Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) systems suffer from slow responses, poor coordination, top-down mandates that limit community ownership, weak dispute resolution skills among responders, little political and financial investment, leadership structures that exclude women and youth, and scant rigorous evidence.
• The result of ineffective EWER systems is that unchecked, violence proliferates.
• To examine and mitigate these barriers, Peace Action for Rapid and Transformative Nigerian Early Response (PARTNER) will pursue a bold approach to collaboration across local, international, government, non-government, community, state, and security stakeholders.
• Local ownership, fuelled by iterative organizational performance assessment and capacity strengthening, will inform each component of the proposed sustainable, flexible, and evidence-based national
• EWER system that builds on existing locally led and gender-sensitive conflict management mechanisms for vertical integration; incentivizes quick responses through horizontal coordination, and fosters increased trust in security and government actors to promote inclusive and collective action.
• By embedding EWER innovations within formal structures from the beginning, PARTNER will increase Nigeria’s self-reliance in leading a holistic, coordinated, and effective effort to promote sustainable peace.

General Position Summary

• PARTNER is built on a culture of true partnership and a systematic approach to local ownership, including readiness measurement, capacity and commitment strengthening, coaching, and key inflection points and benchmarking.
• Mercy Corps is currently leading the PARTNER program in a mentorship capacity in Year 1 and Year 2 of the program, working closely with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), which will assume leadership of the program beginning in Year 3.
• The Operations Manager will provide general management and Coordination for all program procurement, logistics, asset, warehousing, property management and information technology support functions for WANEP field offices.
• The Operations Manager is a key person within the country program, who ensures the resources are planned and utilized towards effective program support. The Operations Manager plays a key role in the field operations management of the country program and shares the responsibility for the direction and providing guidance for other operation team members.
• As a leader member of the Operations team, the Operations Manager is responsible for but not limited to key responsibilities of management oversight, development and implementation of policies and procedures and resource management.

Essential Responsibilities

• Manage reliable and cost-effective operations and effective implementation of the strategies of WANEP towards the right direction, including supervision of facilities, information technology, procurement, asset management, fleet management and warehouse.
• Identify different vendor categories to respond to the program needs.
• Act as a focal point for all internal and external coordination
• Provide overall operational support to programs and facilitate coordination, supervision and monitoring of support activities designed to assist in fulfilling program objectives.
• Establish and maintain a pipeline of supplies, overseeing the logistical aspects of the operation; oversee all commodity storage and movements as needed.
• Oversee facility management, including housing, office leases and warehouses; ensure that security standards are maintained at all premises.
• Work closely with program management to facilitate program planning and upcoming procurement resources needs.
• Work closely with program and finance teams to deliver successful programs while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with WANEP and donor regulations.
• Responsible for the management of all project procurement functions compliance and control.
• Supports the program team in the timely provision of operations support at all levels of standards.
• Ensures compliance requirements of WANEP and rules and regulations specified by the donors and government agencies.
• Provides management information for decision-making as required.
• Support developing budgets for operations activities of country programs as an integral part of program proposal development and country-level budgeting.

Implementation of Policies and Procedures:

• Full compliance of operations with WANEP’s Procurement and Logistics policies, procedures, and processes.
• Provide technical and managerial leadership in the implementation of Procurement and Logistics in the Nigeria program.
• Ensure ongoing full compliance of WANEP’s finance policies and procedures and other policies and procedures.
• Provide expert advice on WANEP’s policies regarding resource management, tools, etc.

Resource Management:

• Ensure effective and efficient resource management in administration, procurement, logistics and IT.
• Ensure effective management of administrative / logistics resources and reporting in a systematic, transparent, and efficient manner to country management.
• Responsible for the provision of high-quality and timely procurement and other program support.
• Exercising management over procurement processes and logistics ensuring compliance with WANEP’s procurement policies and procedures as well as donor rules and regulations.
• Oversee provision of transport and travel support (international and domestic).
• Oversight on maintenance of proper custody of WANEP’s assets, warehouse inventory and general inventory.

Team Management:

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
• Work with all WANEP staff to ensure smooth introduction and adoption of operational systems.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit WANEP-Nigeria as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• WANEP-Nigeria team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or any related Management / Social Science course.
• Relevant Professional qualifications will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of 5 years of management experience in a corporate or an INGO sector, including experience in operational support.
• Sound knowledge of USAID rules and regulations is desirable.
• Sound knowledge of administrative and logistics procedures is highly desired.
• Proven supervisory ability and/or technical skills combined with leadership.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues in a diversified multi-cultural and multi-ethnic working environment.
• Skills in managing, organizing, planning, and implementing assigned tasks under pressure of frequent and tight schedules.
• Strong ability to apply good judgment and decision-making skills in difficult and complex working environments.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills in handling management and coordination issues at the country program level.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

Success Factors

• S/he will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive, and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive communication skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

• The position is based in Ogba, Lagos State and requires travel to project communities in Nigeria.